


the sea between us

by octaiviablake



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M, also descriptions of domestic life, and o is having none if it, lincoln is a self-sacrificial shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 21:18:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3462407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octaiviablake/pseuds/octaiviablake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Several years down the line, they're all living in a village by the sea. Octavia catches the eye of a Trikru warrior, and Lincoln does something stupid.</p><p>Based on the tumblr prompt, 'Linctavia, "I'll choose you every damn time."'</p>
            </blockquote>





	the sea between us

The beach is cold in the early morning, a harsh breeze skimming the white-tipped waves roiling just off the coast. It catches in Octavia’s hair, sending her braids flying behind her. She shivers, pulling her wool shawl tighter around her shoulders. The sand beneath her bare feet is still damp from high tide, and the chill seems to seep into her bones, turning her to ice. The wind stings as it whips at her exposed face, freezing her tears before they have finished their journey down her cheeks. Her back aches from exertion, but she hefts her heavy clamming bucket and wooden shovel onto her shoulder, moving further down the beach and beginning to dig again.

"Go back to the village, Octavia," someone says behind her. "You’ll freeze out here."

Octavia scoffs. “Don’t pretend you care, Lincoln-“

"Of course I care,” he interrupts, sounding pained by the very insinuation. He speaks again, softer this time. “I told you, Octavia, me leaving is best for both of us.” She shudders, her hands stilling where they are buried in the sand.

"Yes," she says quietly. "I remember what you said."

They’d fought all night, screaming themselves hoarse, and she feels as though she’s got no fight left. She cannot make him stay.

"I thought you’d be gone by now,"she says. "First light has already passed." She resumes her work, finally glimpsing the foot of the clam she’s after. Lincoln kneels beside her, helping scoop out wet handfuls of sand as she snatches up the clam.

She drops it into her basket, huffing, and moves to rise from her knees, but Lincoln’s gentle hand at her back gives her pause. For a second, she leans into his touch, comforted by the familiar warmth - and then he says, “Go back to the village, Octavia. Carter will be looking for you.”

She jerks away, but his words leave a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Is that what this is about?" she asks in disbelief. Lincoln sighs heavily but does not respond. "I thought - you never said -" She reaches up at last to scrub away the frozen tear tracks on her cheeks in exasperation. "I don’t want Carter, Lincoln, I only want you-“

"But I am not good for you!" he shouts, so loudly that she startles and pulls away farther. His agonized expression only grows darker in evident self-hatred. Octavia recovers quickly, stepping forward to reassure him, but he steps back, keeping a distance.

"Lincoln," she starts softly, eyes filling with tears again. He cuts her off once more.

"The things that I have done… the things that still haunt me… Octavia, I can never give you a normal life. Not like he can."

She shakes her head fervently, her heart aching as she begins to understand why he thinks that he has to leave.

"You deserve more," Lincoln says. She can see now that his eyes, too, are shining.

"Stop it, just stop it, Lincoln!” she grinds out. “What I deserve is happiness, okay? And maybe this is news to you, but without you that’s impossible.”

The breath rushes from Lincoln in one great gust, his shoulders slumping in both relief and guilt as he resigns himself to her decision.

"It would be easy with him," he says, searching her face for any last sign of uncertainty. "You know I will always carry my sins with me. You really want that for yourself?"

"Yes, you idiot!" she cries, stepping closer. This time, he lets her. "I’ll choose you every damn time," she tells him, smoothing a hand over his cheek and smiling through her tears. "I love you and I want to spend my life with you, okay?" He nods, finally, and laughs quietly as he sweeps her into his arms.

"Okay. Okay.”

"And don’t ever try to leave like that again.” His grip tightens.

"Never," he promises. "Let’s go home."

Octavia beams. “Yeah. Let’s.”

He tucks her into his side as they walk back down the beach, holding her tiny hands with his own to warm them. Her clam basket is heavy on her shoulder, but her contentment outweighs her discomfort. Lincoln is staying by her side, and close by a warm hearth awaits them. She has a home in these things, and she wants for nothing more.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Please leave feedback, I'd love to hear what you think. You can find more of my writing on my ao3 account and on my tumblr, octaiviablake, where you can drop by anytime to talk about actual grounder princess Octavia Blake.
> 
> And yes, Carter is named after the president. Because Lincoln's people are accidental American history nerds, and I love it.


End file.
